Angostura warm-up matches to prepare national cricketers

Angostura Limited will sponsor a three-match cricket series next month at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) to get Trinidad and Tobago’s senior cricketers ready for the regional limited overs cricket tournament carded to bowl off on October 8. Last season Angostura sponsored three matches between Rush XI and an Xcess XI, named after two of their popular benevarges. The teams comprised players who were preparing for the Red Stripe Bowl series. At the conclusion of the third match the national team was chosen. Chairman of the senior national selection panel, Dudnath Ramkessoon told Newsday yesterday that the same procedure will apply this year. “Currently some of the guys are in training with national coach David Williams. We are using our indoor facilities to good effect at present and the players are in classrooms studying videos of themselves,” ther former West Indies youth captain said.

“Williams together with Dasrath Maharaj and W-Connection trainer Gerard Garcia are at present videotaping the players and working closely with them on a one-on-one basis to correct their flaws,” Ramkessoon said. “At present we cannot really name the teams to play the warm-up matches. Some of our players are in America, while some are with the West Indies team in England. There are others who are spread over the world playing league cricket. At the end of this month we would have a clearer picture of what we have and we will then sit down and name the squads to participate in the Angostura series,” he said. Trinidad and Tobago last won the regional limited overs tournament in 1997.